Happenings....

Today I finally made pozole because it was one of my favorite dishes my host mom in Mexico made.  I used this recipe and it was so good and pretty close to what I wanted.  The chicken wasn't great though...but that's what I get for buying the last chicken at Grocery Outlet.  I probably should have let the little old lady that tried to beat me to it have it, but I didn't want to go to another store ha ha.  ANYway it was delicious and I have lots of leftovers now.

First I made some delicious ice tea because I also have been missing it.

Maisy goes crazy when I make chicken stock.  It's like doggy crack to her.

The best thing about pozole is the toppings.

Ok also I have new BeBes in brand new fabrics!!!  Woohooo....check them out in my Etsy shop here.

Beautiful....

So much to say, so much has happened...I don't know where to start!  My intentions when I went to Mexico were to blog frequently because I figured I'd have a lot to say, and new things to share.  However, when I first got to Mexico I was pretty miserable.  I didn't feel like I wanted to spread my sadness and despair around.  Something started to happen there though.  Something inside me changed and by the end I didn't want to leave at all, and almost didn't.  In fact I cried on the plane pretty much the whole way home...I felt sorry for the people who sat next to me...they probably thought I was nuts, or afraid of flying.  Anyway...I still don't really want to talk about Mexico...it just seems too overwhelming right now...but what I would like to share is today.

Today was a beautiful day in so many ways.  I started the morning with my tea, in my favorite mug.  In Mexico I did not have my tea, and I'm pretty obsessed with tea, so I was excited to brew my first cup.

Then I did some work!!!  I cleaned up my work table and started on some projects.  It feels so good to work again.

While I was working I decided I wanted to go to the farm today and buy produce.  One thing I really wanted to do when I got home from Mexico was hit the farm because the fresh produce is so yummy here in the summer.  So when my Mom called and said she wanted to go too we hit the road!

The picture below is solely included to make Sarah jealous.  :)

Biggest cabbage I have ever seen.

We might have over-did it on how much we bought...and I might have ate some of all of it just now :/

And I ate it all after this giant ice cream cone.  Ice cream sounded so good and I thought one scoop would be small because it was the smallest size but oh no...it was huge.  

Thanks for sharing my day with me!  I'm gonna do some more work and probably fall asleep early.  I came home with a stomach infection from Mexico and it has been wiping me out.  I think I slept like 13 hours last night ha ha.

Whoa....

Whoa Blogger is all weird...I guess it's been a while.  Hi all!  I figured it was time I buckle down and write a blog post.  It seems like every time I think of something to write about, I put it off, and now I feel like there are so many things, I don't know where to start.

First, I moved into an apartment.  The BeBes and I are in a new place!  Oh and Maisy too.  She lays by me while I work on BeBes in the kitchen.

Second...I'm going to Mexico!  In June I leave for a study abroad program in Mexico.  I'm not excited and terrified...I am mostly terrified.  ANYway, I am trying to raise money in any way that I can, so I'm listing everything I can find around here on Etsy, ON SALE!  Yep on sale.  Check them out here.

Oh and I turned 30.  I admit I was also terrified of my birthday, mostly because I didn't want a crappy story for my 30th birthday.  It ended up exceeding my expectations.  First... all my friends went out dancing on my actual birthday (no pictures, please private party (or I just always forget to take pictures)).  Thennnnnnnn, my boyfriend who had to be out of town on my actual birthday, booked us a gorgeous hotel room at the beach for the weekend.  It couldn't have been more perfect.  The weather was beautiful for the Oregon coast and we had so much fun...it was hard to come back.

Birthday champagne, and a message in a bottle...look at that view!

Enjoying the scenery tee hee.

Cheesies

Ok... keep checking my shops and help me go to Mexico!  I'm going to be sewing my heart out until June.  :)

My Swapee Received Her BeBe!

(Check out my previous post if you are interested in seeing the gift I received but now I get to share with you the plush I made for my swapee!)

When the Plush Team does the yearly swap you receive some information about your swapee, such as their favorite color, animal, food, etc. Luckily my swapee was Emily of Bluestar Fuzzies or Bluestar Ink. I say luckily because apparently we have very similar taste as her favorites are very similar to my favorites! I had no idea what to make with all the options but I decided on a raccoon.

I had never made a raccoon BeBe so there was some trial and error but I was so happy with how he came out. Emily and her super adorable daughter loved their raccoon too! Check out this Plush Team blog post where Emily talks about receiving her raccoon.

Plush Team Swap Time!!!

It's no secret that the annual plush swap is my favorite Plush Team event of all. I actually coordinated the last one and, honestly, I love EVERYthing about swapping time. There's the anticipation and wondering who is out there making me a special critter and there is the fun of making something for someone else (and waiting patiently for their reaction). I had a little hunch that my gift might be in my mailbox today so I drug my boyfriend all the way across town to check my p.o. box (I don't check it regularly and wouldn't have gone today if I wasn't so excited). Fun things, like plush buying, is scarce around here lately due to being a poor student, so getting a gift means so much to me.

When I saw the little key in my box I squealed...and then I squealed louder when I saw who it was from. I have been a fan of Megan's work forever. Her work, under the name Nonesuch Garden, is so recognizable, not to mention creative and super cute. Lately she has been working in a completely different style, which I love just as much, but is so different from what she is known for. This only increased my anticipation because I had no idea what style my gift would be in.

So my lovely boyfriend ripped the package open in the parking lot with his key and we were both delighted to find an adorable blue sloth hiding inside. Sloths are my favorite animal, and I am slowly obtaining a collection as word gets out about my obsession with them. I could not be more thrilled with my new addition! I only wish I had a little plush tree with some foliage for my sloth to eat...I guess that's a project for me! My sloths need a jungle!

I love being part of the Plush Team and apparently so does my sloth! Now to think of a name...

Valentine

I made this plush for my mustache-y valentine.

Day of the Dead Art Project

I am fortunate this term to again have a class in which I get to make an art project. This term I am taking a Spanish language class called, "Expresiones Artísticas". Basically the class covers all kinds of art created by different Spanish speaking cultures and artists. One assignment in the class, is to create an art project which represents each student in some personal way. Of course I decided to sew something, and I already had an idea.

I couple months back the Plushteam did a Day of the Dead, (Día de los Muertos), challenge but I unfortunately didn't participate because I didn't really have the time. I had an idea of what I wanted to make back then and even though I was too late to participate in the challenge, I was still excited to finally make a Day of the Dead plush.

I have always been fascinated by the holiday and am especially enamored with the ornately decorated skulls. Check out this one, this one and these. If you are not familiar with the holiday, or it's traditions, check out this website for an explanation.

I had a lot of different ideas of how I wanted to design my skull, and I'm sure I would have done more if I would have had excess time, but I am still pretty happy with how it came out. As I worked out the design on paper first, I decided that I needed some kind of theme because I was sort of just drawing designs all willy-nilly. The thought of a cohesive design led me to another significant symbol for death, especially during the Day of the Dead holiday, the marigold. Marigolds are placed as offerings on alters and at grave sites. To read more about the significance of the marigold in Mexican culture check out this explanation.

I have to say it was really fun presenting my creation in class today. I think I was the only person that didn't write a poem or make something on poster paper. I think when I get my project back I might add more details because I think there are too many white spaces left on the skull. I do really like how the marigolds came out though. The entire piece is made of wool felt and stuffing. I forgot to measure it but I would estimate it is about six inches tall. What do you think?